Railway-track gage.



PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904.

NO MODEL.

Inventor.

r I Fhtomeqs Patented .Tune 14, 1904. i

JAMES M. WAGGONER, OF FAYETTEVILLE, TENNESSEE.

RAI L'WAY-TRACK GAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,780, dated June 14, 1904.

Application filed March 17, 1904.

T 0 all whom it puny concern:

Be it known-that I, J AMES M. WAeeoNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fayette ville, in the county of Lincoln and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful R ailway-Track Gage, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gages employed in adjusting railway-tracks to the proper width and level upon both the straight and curved portions of the track, and has for its object to produce a device of this character simple in construction, easily applied and operated, and in which there are no projecting parts to be broken in handling the-implement.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of g the embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it

claims made therefor.

In the drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan View. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail illustrating the construction of the extension end of the implement.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section, enlarged, on the line 4 4: of Fig. 1.

The improved device comprises a stock 10, which may be of wood or metal or partially of each and forztliepurpos of=i1lustration is shown with the body portion of wood having metal binding members where the wear occurs. The stock is formed with shoulders 11 12 spaced apart to correspond to the gage of the track upon straight portions, which is usu- Serial No. 198,670. (No model.)

ally four feet eight and one-half inches and cut away upon the under side to enable the implement to be employed at frogs, switches, and similar localities. The ends of the-stock, including the shoulders, will be provided with wear-plates or binder members 13 14, and one of the binder members, as 13, will be provided with a recess 15 in the bottom of the gage member in advance of the shoulder to receive a stop'member 16, which will thus be entirely inclosed within the recess or with its lower surface flush withthe adjacent surfaces of the plate 13, so that its presence will not interfere with the use of the implement when employed for gaging straight sections of the track.

The stop member 16 is disposed'for projection into engagement with the vertical portion of the plate 13 to increase the thickness of the shoulder 11 to an extent equal to the thickness of the stop member and correspondingly increase to the same extent the gage of the implement, as will be obvious.

AS well known, the gage of railway-tracks is increased slightly (generally about onehalf of an inch) upon curves, and with the thickness of the stop 16 corresponding to this increase it is obvious that the implement can be quickly transformed into a curve-gage by simply depressing the stop 16 into a vertical position, or against the outer face of the shoulder 11. i

The stop 16 is hinged at one end by a pintle 1-7 in the recess 15 in position to swing downward against the plate 13 and is provided with an operating-rod 18, extending through a longitudinal recess 19 in. the end of the stock 10 and fixedly engaged with a lug or projection 19 upon the adjacent end of the stop "16.

Attached to the stock and extending over the inner end of the recess 19 is .a resilient catch 20 forengaging the free end of the rod 18 when in its upper position to hold the stop withdrawn into the recess 15.

The stock 10 is provided with an intermediate transverse aperture 21, in which two graduated dials 22 23 are secured, facing outwardly and protected, preferably, with glass or other transparent closures 2 1 25.

Supported for rotation through the dials is a shaft 26, having pointers 27 28 exteriorly of the dial and movable over the graduations thereon.

Suspended from the shaft between the dials is a weight 29 in position to cause the pointers to remain in an exact vertical position when the stock 10 is in an exact level position, thus serving as a leveling attachment and also as a means for accurately denoting the exact degree of angularity of the stock when not in a level position, as will be obvious.

By this simple attachment the implement may be employed to accurately ascertain the difference in level between the rails of the track.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1'. The combination with a stock having depending shoulders adapted to engage between the rails, said stock being provided in ad- Vance of one of the shoulders with a longitudinal recess, of a pivoted stop adapted to swing in a plane symmetrical with the longitudinal axis of the stock and to normally seat within the recess, and means for positively moving the stop to and from active position.

2. The combination with a stock having depending shoulders adapted to engage between a pair of rails, said stock being provided in advance of one of the shoulders with a longitudinal recess, of a pivoted stop adapted to swing in a' plane symmetrical with the longitudinal axis of the stock and to normally seat within the recess, an operating member connected with the stop for positively moving the latter to and from active position, and means for locking the operating member to maintain the stop in inactive position.

3. A railway-track gage comprisinga stock provided with spaced shoulders corresponding to the straight portions of the track and with a longitudinal recess in advance of one of said shoulders, a stop movably connected in said stock for projection into engagement with said shoulder, a rod connected to said stop and extending through said recess, and a resilient catch for engaging said rod.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. WAGGONER.

Witnessesi W. B. DOUTHAT, JNo. THOMIsON. 

